Exploring Factors that Influence the Public’s Preferences Within the Criminal Legal System

• In Event: Public Opinion about the Police and Policing Reform

Abstract

Purpose: In 2020, George Floyd was murdered, and protesters took to the streets demanding reforms to the criminal justice (CJ) system – many calling for defunding the police, reallocating resources, and reducing biases in the CJ system. Since then, public opinion has evolved as contentions have grown over these issues. In the current study, we seek to understand how public opinion regarding the CJ system is currently shaped.
Methods: Using the 2021 General Social Survey, we examine what factors shape individuals’ feelings about the CJ system. Specifically, we seek to understand whether basic demographic factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, age, sex/gender, and region), political party identification, and self-reported levels of fear of crime are predictive of opinions regarding whether the US should take more steps to strengthen law enforcement vs. work toward eliminating biases, reduce funding for police to increase funding on social services, or adjust the amount of money spent on law enforcement.
Results: Preliminary results show that political party affiliation remains a strong predictor surrounding policy priorities and preferences within the CJ system.
Conclusion: Understanding how CJ ideologies are shaped allows researchers to more effectively communicate evidence-based policies to the public so they can be implemented with bipartisan support.

Authors

• Emily Hope Thomson, University of Memphis

• Miriam Clark, University of Memphis

• Timothy McCuddy, University of Memphis